TORONTO (September 15, 2016) – Kwaku Boateng, a defensive lineman from Wilfrid Laurier University, is the top-ranked CIS player on the initial prospect list released by the CFL’s Scouting Bureau in advance of the league’s 2017 Canadian Draft.

Boateng, a 6-foot-2, 250-pound senior in his fourth campaign with the Golden Hawks, is the reigning OUA J.P. Metras Award recipient as conference down lineman of the year and was also named a CIS Second Team All-Canadian in 2015 after he racked up nine tackles for a loss – including four quarterback sacks – in eight league games. The accounting student is once again terrorizing opposing offences this fall with three sacks, two forced fumbles and eight total tackles in Laurier’s first two contests.

Boateng, who has 17 career sacks to his name during his time at Laurier, trails Golden Hawks’ all-time leader Eric Schwab by just 0.5 sacks for first place on Laurier’s all-time list.

“This is quite the honour for Kwaku and our football team to have him as the top-ranked CIS prospect,” said Michael Faulds, head coach of the nationally seventh-ranked Golden Hawks. “None of us in the program are surprised because we have witnessed his work ethic in everything he does since he stepped on our campus four years ago. Kwaku has the quickest get-off and is tenacious against the run and pass. More importantly he is a well-rounded individual who excels on the field and in the classroom, as witnessed by his multiple CIS Academic All-Canadian awards. He will make any team at the next level better.”

The only player ranked higher than Boateng on the Scouting Bureau’s September list is Montreal native Justin Senior, a 6-foot-5, 310-pound offensive lineman from Mississippi State in the NCAA.

Joining Boateng on the list from Laurier is fourth year linebacker Nakas Onyeka of Brampton, Ont. The 6-0, 210-pound senior, who was named an OUA Second Team All-Star last season, is coming off an outstanding year in which he finished fifth in the conference in tackles with 48, while also recording two sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

This season, Onyeka has continued his strong play and has 11.5 tackles, two sacks, one fumble recovery and one knockdown through the purple and gold’s first two games.

Laurier is one of four CIS teams to have multiple players on the initial Top 20 prospect list, joining Laval, Calgary and Carleton.

NOTE: The CFL Scouting Bureau releases its rankings three times each year: in September, December and April. The Bureau is comprised of CFL scouts, player personnel directors and general managers from the league’s nine teams.